By Royal Command

A Ballet Troupe has been performing at the Palace

'The Nutcracker', of course

The King is known for his intense interest in Ballet

But what the King is really thinking is.....

Of course he is much too well-bred to say so.

 

Reluctance feeds the fires of desire.

Looks like a hot end for one man

and a happy ending for the other.

~

 The splendid, original AI image was generated by muscleandboots

captions by mitchmen blog

click on mitchmods below for more captions

Tribute to Stan of Sweden - 1

The photographs of Stan of Sweden enjoyed a brief vogue during the flowering of beefcake mags in the 1960's. Like Basil Clavering of Royale Studio, he made much use of everyday clothing which gave his muscular models a sense of place in the everyday world instead of isolating them in some unreachable place reserved for the Gods of Physique. Today he seems largely forgotten, this article pays tribute to his stunning male art.

Bo Johansson by Stan of Sweden

Bo Johansson was one of Stan's most popular models.

Boyish looks, but a stunning bodybuilder's physique.

The cap may have gone out of fashion but not the muscles.

Bo Johansson by Stan of Sweden

Bo's quizzical expression here is priceless.

It makes him look like an innocent young man, up from the country,

uncomfortable at being asked to strike the artificial, body-builder pose.

Hans Brown by Stan of Sweden

 Hans Brown looks away, also as though embarrassed about his muscles being on display.

Perhaps not realising how his rebellious, thumbs-in-pockets pose and indrawn abs

 increases the erotic effect.

These pale jeans were a hallmark of Stan's work, they add a casual, improvised air. 

The loose fit on this model suggest they are not the his own attire.

Kent Strom by Stan of Sweden

In this image the dipping waistline and dramatic lighting became something of a classic.

The open pose (another body-builder standard) seems like an invitation from the darkness.

Stan did not shy away from a hairy torso but made a feature of it. 

The side-ties on the model's trunks are dated but still sexy, just one tug!

Hans Inge by Stan of Sweden

Stan didn't use posing pouches (as far as I know) but did get some of his models naked.

Here again the arty lighting deliberately accentuates the hairy regions,

including the lower abdomen, which was daring for it's time.

Kurt Peters by Stan of Sweden

Stan did not restrict himself to body-builders.

This model has a more 'natural' build, though not lacking a pleasing shape.

His older face, hairiness and seaman's tattoos suggest ruggedness and experience.

The clean look of his jeans, though drawn tight, seems reassuringly respectable*.

One of my personal favourites

(*But we should remember that in the 1960's, jeans were far from universal wear, their tight sexiness was solely the province of the rebellious young. The white or pale blue variants did not accentuate wear and sexy creases like the indigo ones did, but were regarded as daring and very showy in a way that was rather disreputable for a man)

Niels Anton by Stan of Sweden

This looks like a tough, working man too, although he's more muscularly built.

The ice hook adds an overt edge, which is unusual in Stan's work. 

The pale jeans have been swapped for a corduroy pair (alluringly tactile in their day). 

The tight fit suggests they might be the model's own clothes.

The waistline abruptly interrupts the line of the model's torso, bluntly obscuring his nakedness. 

But the cut-off across the line of his abs is teasing, with a hint of pubic hair escaping.

Lower down, the opening of his crotch is clearly visible below a modest bulge.

Niels Anton by Stan of Sweden

In this image the naked torso seems a more natural complement to the jeans.

They showcase his manly, broad-shouldered physique. 

His slightly youthful face with aspirational 'tache-let and knowingly coiffured hair

is a marvellous portrait of emerging manhood.

However, his open crotch, the shape of the hook and the way he is holding it 

creates a electric erotic undercurrent which is hard to define but unmistakeable.

Notice the hair showing under his arm-pit.

Sivert Olsen by Stan of Sweden

The frightened expression of this young bodybuilder performing a side pose under harsh lighting makes a thought-provoking complement to Niels Anton's scary hook above. Stan had a talent for capturing the uncertainty of young men.

Stan took many conventional images of body-builders posing in competitions, which is no doubt how he won their confidence and was able to persuade them to pose 'out of their trunks' for more interesting imagery. There's an impression here that Sivert is in the process of loosening his side-ties and about to take his trunks off, but Stan usually wanted these muscular models to put clothes on for his photos.

Bo Johansson by Stan of Sweden

In this image Stan catches Bo Johansson in a pose that is the epitome of awkward, uncertainty.

The model seems to be pouting in irritation and frustration,

but he's unwittingly showing his obedience to Stan's wishes.

This isn't a body-builder's pose, there's a hint of captivity about it.

Sven Eric by Stan of Sweden.

Stan seems to have a trick for drawing out the hairiness of a man's body, an oil or water spray perhaps. 

Maybe that is responsible for Sven Erick's expression of saintly patience and forbearance here.

Coupled with the oversize jeans, it creates an impression of him being manipulated and controlled.

That is the true reality, but the gay viewer can vicariously enjoy the illusion of submissivness.

Tord Eric by Sven of Sweden

Stan's male imagery is sexily unique in many ways, but he joins the beefcake mainstream 

with this image of Tord Eric in a US Navy cap, AMG-style.

However the sweeping dip of the model's trunks creates a stronger image than a pouch would.

The original image may have given a better idea of it's contents!

In Part 2, I look at his images which echo themes from other photographers.

Art by Catweazle - 3

Young men seeking to be famous heroes sometimes discover, all too soon, 

that glorious deeds are not to be their lot in life.

Catweazle - Chained Hero In Danger 11

"No! They can't kill me! Not on my first mission!"

That was Jerry's final thought as his quest to rescue his brother from the Orcs

ended ignominiously on the very first day.

Catweazle - Jurassic World 06

"Yeah! Let's be 'aving you!"

These men all set out with the best of intentions, with lovingly cultivated physiques

and bags of enthusiasm, imagining that was all they needed to succeed.

Catweazle - Captured Hero 01

"Got you, my fine beauty!"

Not realising that there would be forest dwellers out there that don't want to fight and kill.

They love to collect fine, human specimens, using guile and magic to snare their game intact.

Catweazle - Roman Warrior v Worm 2-3

"Aaaargh! What a dirty trick! Not fair!"

Lucius set out to slay the creature that was killing his army comrades, wearing nothing but a shiny, steel pouch. He felt sexy and heroic, never imagining that the hunter could be hunted too. Nor that the creature would flout the rules of combat by attacking him from behind. It snatched him up, crushing his ribs in a ferocious grip. As he formulated his escape strategy, he felt it bite deep into his back. 

Catweazle - Cage Wrestling

"It's so tight!"

Even when the cherished dream of valiant, face to face, hand to hand combat can quickly sour.

The iron grip of an Orc is escapable and soon starts to hurt. A lot. And they smell awful too.

Catweazle - Sword and Sorcerer Contest 0608

"I didn't know it had spines"

Wriggling out of entwining tentacles is not so easy 

when they have bony spines that have already dug into your flesh.

Catweazle - Ruined Castle

"Come back and fight, you coward!"

It's humbling and humiliating when a hero's brain tells him to 'cut and run' 

Preserving his precious hide but making a mockery of his muscled image.

Catweazle - Hunk In Danger

"Gulp. How did it do that?"

Bitter still is the pill when escape and cowardly survival seems assured,

only for the opponent to produce the unexpected.

Catweazle - Water Monster Fight

"I'm gonna drown before I even get close!"

Fighting a creature in it's own environment is the epitome of bravery.

But many the hero realises with a sinking feeling that it's also the depths of foolishness.

Catweazle - Fight With The Snakes 2

"I didn't realise they hunt in packs!"

Against a lesser opponent, a careless stumble is all it takes to level the odds.

The creatures of the forest will show no mercy to a fallen beast.

Catweazle - Osher vs Ork (sic)

"Puny human - die!"

Past successes, fighting humans in the Arena breed false confidence.

An Orc champion can despatch a budding hero quickly and suddenly.

Catweazle - Minotaurus Victor

"What fools these humans are!"

So many of these gallant adventurers discovered too late

That a beautiful body and a sexy outfit cut no ice with a beast.

Catweazle - Dariuzs and the Sea Dragon

"If it closes it's mouth I'm done for!"

At least death in combat is better than the ignominy of being carried off helpless.

Destined to be a predator's next meal, consumed at leisure in it's lair.

Catweazle - Dead Hero Cart 01

"Heh, heh, more fertiliser for my crops"

Worst of all, is the fate of becoming just another failed hero, 

one of many who sallied forth and simply disappeared, 

and were soon forgotten by those who waved them off.

~

Read this full series from Catweazle Part 1

with links to his gallery

Art by Catweazle 2

Read Part 1 of this posting

Catweazle - Cables

 Whilst Catweazle's forte is for muscular heroes fighting scary, mutant creatures in fantastic worlds, he does venture into other areas and this is a fairly logical extension with humanoid aliens tormenting a muscle man in their laboratory. The scantily clad, hairy captive is hooked up with cables which are monitoring - or possibly 'stimulating' him. There's also a selection of other, highly original devices encircling him whose purpose is not clear. The skirt-like device around his lower leg is particularly intriguing. He looks resigned to his fate, but not particularly comfortable with it.  

The aliens meanwhile look excited by him and seem to be dying to get their hands on him, 

although they seem to lack sexual organs as we know them (Jim). 

Catweazle - Shark Attack

The artist uses the same pose to startlingly different effect here, with the captive facing a more obvious menace lurking in the water around his lower body and completely unable to defend himself. The title implies that the lurking is about to become something much worse. The captive looks suitably terrified.  By some accident of fate, the floodwaters are discreetly covering up his fishing tackle, but in the sexiest way possible, leaving just enough pubic hair showing to stir the imagination of on-lookers.

Quite how he came to be chained up naked in this flooded, ancient cellar is unknown, likewise how the cellar came to be flooded, let alone how the floodwater came to be shark infested. It's as if some catastrophic, geophysical event occurred after the captive was parked here. 

Now it seems he's about to become beyond rescuing. 

This simple image knocks those AI one-handers, oozing with shiny hunkiness, into a cocked hat, 

although on reflection 'one-hander' is perhaps not the best term to use in this context.

Catweazle - Streetfighters in the Rain

This image is standard rendering fare but the star fighter looks pretty cute and is sexily attired. The addition of rain adds a more unusual ingredient although, sadly, the artist passes up a golden opportunity to show us more of what's hidden in those wet pants, just a hint of a bump is all we get. The bent back, falling pose is sexy in it's own right, however and it fits into the arch of the kicker's open legs in a way that is interesting, not just in artistic terms but it's also erotically suggestive. 

The crazily angled wall accentuates the drama.  

Catweazle - Fistfighter iv

This is also a fairly commonplace fight image, but combination of muscles, military garb and cute characterisations is appealing. Catweazle has angled the viewpoint nicely to suggest a close quarters struggle and convincing impact. The swampy background (promising more wetness) gives the feel of a jungle with all it's mysterious dangers, but it's not completely successful. It feels like they ought to be splashing around a bit.

Catweazle - Man Beats Monster

This image is so wacky that it deserves more than to be treated as just another 'man and monster' image. The technique is different too, that's a real photograph (of the man, not the monster) and the blending of the two styles is excellent. Nice, low-slung jeans too. Maybe that's what distracted the monster, leaving him open to the sucker punch. (Would be sucker?)

Catweazle - Geiger 5

This is a great image, a beguiling marriage of muscle, allure and sensitivity, of crude strength and artistic delicacy. The Chippendale-esque garb is cleverly toned down, no sparkle, just pure black and white. That gives the man an air of distinction whilst showcasing his essential masculinity. His tousled hair adds a touch of artistic wildness. The violin keeps his hands fully occupied, well away from his discreet, black briefs which tantalise us with their lack of detail but do highlight his bulging thighs. 

This is pure render but the muscles have a nice naturalism.

Catweazle - Pergola Musician 2

   Here the violinist is juxtaposed against two women, entertaining them and teasing them with his physique.  I mentioned in Part 1 of this article how Catweazle uses women in his pictures without letting them take over. The narrative seems to suggest that the musician is at their disposal, providing a service, but there is no sense that they are in control.  Instead they seem mesmerised by him. He is the centre of interest, relegating them to the role of desperate housewives.

Catweazle - Like Gaultier.

Here he's transformed the woman into a predator, inverting the traditional roles and fulfilling the fantasy of many who  have seen Gaultier's, homoerotic TV ads. She is overwhelming the bare top sailor with her lust and in this close proximity she can hardly fail to notice his sexual response, whatever it is. 

It's sexy for us, but it's far from clear that he likes being bent back over a top rail that looks like a cheese cutter. He doesn't seem to be reciprocating with his hands either. It's as if reality has suddenly intruded into the fantasy. Like the violinist, he has a job to do, and a position to protect on the ship. There's an appealing kindness of spirit in what seems like patient tolerance. Would it seem the same if the woman was replaced by another man? Perhaps not.

If this was produced by an overtly gay artist I'd say the post immediately beneath the sailor's backside is an deliberate indication of what he'd really like to have at this moment, but I sense that Catweazle doesn't think like that!

Catweazle - The New Slave

In this picture the male is reduced further to being the helpless captive of a seemingly powerful woman. However, she seems to be in awe of her new acquisition, adopting an alluring 'come and get me' stance. Rather than dominating him, she's dressed to kill as if she is the one in need of him. Even the dragons seem to defer to the man, even though he's naked and kneeling submissively before them in his fetters. One of them even dips his head to lick his body, like a pet dog making friends.

Catweazle seems to be illustrating the very traditional idea that a woman's power emanates from her sexual allure and like The Harpie in Part 1 of this series, having power over a man is motivated by lust for his cock. Even in captivity, this man wields the power and it produces an image that is unexpectedly homoerotic. Compare this image with with 'After Work'

Catweazle - Through The Swamp

To be fair to Catweazle, he does also portray men as the hapless helpmates of strong women. The man might even be her slave here, judging by the disparity of dress between them. If so, she must have very strong control over him to be able to trust him with a sword. 

In this nice atmospheric picture, he looks very sexy in his loincloth. This swamp creature has good taste. Could he turn out to be a stud under a spell who only needs a special touch from a hunky man to regain his human form and beauty?

Catweazle - Planet of the Apes 2f

There's a much more powerful sense here of the man being subservient to his captor ,who looms above him, militarily impassive and threatening. The iron collar and manacles he is wearing are more than mere restraints, they acknowledge the strength of his bulging muscles, containing them and controlling him. It's as if that is where his value to his new master lies. 

His shaggy hair suggests he's a bit of a beast, but his sexuality is clearly of no interest to his non-human captor and so that too seems to have been subjugated. His body is shaved, completely hairless and his reproductive organs are tucked away in a tiny, lovingly-detailed, leather pouch that, for me is very sexy.

This man is not in control, he's going to meet an unknown fate

 The birds circle overhead like an augury of doom.

Catweazle - Roman Slave 10

Here, Catweazle gives male slavery a historical treatment. I'd love to know where these soldiers found this muscle-hunk with his capacious loincloth and showy, ethnic hair-do. Unfortunately he seems to have been found wanting by the judge standing behind him. It must have been quite a shock to find death in charge of all these Roman Soldiers (another wtf? moment from this artist). There was never much doubt about the verdict he was going to deliver, but it seems the dirty work has been delegated to someone else. The shocked and confused captive is led away at the end of a very log rope to meet his grisly fate, urged on by angry guards.

Read Part 1 of this posting

More in Catweazle Part 3 (link pending)

See also Catweazle01 at Deviant Art

The Great Rugby Take Down

For a couple of weeks, I've been trailing images of Rugby Players in bondage.

Now comes the deluge!

"Those bastards!"

A burly rugby player has been tied up and left out in pouring rain on a muddy pitch.

Broad chest, chunky thighs, this image knocked my socks off when I saw it. 

He's a handsome man, but the image also somehow captures something of a beast in him.

Now he is tethered, totally helpless, exposed to the elements in a public place. 

Frustration. Discomfort. Humiliation.

Is this a prank played on him by other members of the team? 

Another mighty beast left face down in the mud, even more humiliated.

It looks like there was quite a struggle before this one could be subdued.

Defeated, he lies with his tight-fitting kit clinging sexily to his contours in the rain.

His colours have a Scottish flavour, an interesting sight for English eyes.

"You've had enough warnings!"

This time we can see who is tying up the captive up, he looks like one of the training staff.

The hogtie has been made a shade nastier, with a loop around the player's neck,

That should keep him stranded in his own private puddle of muddy water.

A teammate seems to be approaching in the distance, 

Is he going to intervene? Rescue? Or just gloat?

"Go on then! Do your worst!"

This is one way of settling a long-running dispute between two bulls.

Forcing them to confront each other with muscles and emotions securely under wraps.

Instead of fighting to decide who's No 1, they can have a tug of war across the halfway line.

The short rope is a deliberate choice, it matches their short fuses.

Now they find themselves physically close in a shared predicament.

Who knows what chemistry is about to evolve between them?

A stadium full of spectators looks on expectantly.

I want to have a word with you, Fergus, about your on-field behaviour

It's not all bad news, the Sin Bin has acquired comfortable bench seats (in case there's a crowd) and quilted walls which help ensure that what happens in there does not each the ears of the media. There's now a fourth Match Official tasked with the dual roles of (a) Calming the anger and over-excitement of miscreants and (b) Putting the fear of God in them so they don't reoffend (for a while). 

A middle ranking military background is considered ideal for this position, and unfortunately for Fergus this one specialised in covert abductions and is of the opinion that the only good villain is a tied-up one. He has just demonstrated to Fergus the ease with which he can do it to him. Naturally, Fergus mouths off, but the only response is a puff of cigar smoke which envelops his face. 

"Now then my lad, let's get down to brass tacks" the official says, eyeing Fergie's crotch.

"I'm waiting, Doyle" 

Ten minutes in the Sin Bin can seem an awful long time when you're not sure what's going to happen to you, and it's not helped by the lurid stories put about by certain players who like to glorify their own visits and make others tremble about the possibilities they might face. 

The privacy afforded by the padded rooms fuels such anxieties, and a creative Match Official can take advantage of that by using imaginative restraint and dropping calculated hints about what he is inclined to do to the immobilised player. In the reverse wall-spread position, the player imagines that the only thing standing between him and utter humiliation is his shorts which seem very vulnerable to a malicious pull down. Especially after the Official spotted that he's wearing a traditional jockstrap underneath. It's enough to take his mind right off the game, which is continuing outside without him.

"Brace yourselves, lads. The entire team is coming out to spank you.
Thank your lucky stars it's not in front of our home crowd"

When the team's star players repeatedly miss easy scoring opportunities and the entire team knows they were up all night carousing, it causes friction. Away matches in interesting new places are always an tempting opportunity for players to go out on the town. Management teams these days run a tight ship but players off the leash can still get carried away and forget their responsibilities to the team.  When it happens time and time again, the Training Staff have to step in and remind them about the rules. 

If they want special treatment, they are liable to get it.

These singlets and dinky shorts might be seen on a rugby training ground, but are really more suggestive of the Gaelic Football code and that played by our Aussie friends down under. 

No matter, a hunk is a hunk however you dress him up and make him sweat.

"Wait! Wait! You can't just take these men away and sell them!
We've no chance of winning the League without them!".

But if the coach is unhappy, think how his two players must feel,

suddenly discovering they have been sold off by the cash-strapped club.

Their errant behaviour hasn't helped their cause.

Securely bound for despatch to an unknown buyer for unspecified use.

They've had no time to arrange their affairs - or even to tell their loved ones.

Even the ref looks distraught about the situation.

"Look at it this way, lads........."

This Coach is more sanguine and professional at the prospect of losing two key players,

He soothes the fears of the frightened men as they wait to be collected and taken away.

"You'll be well looked after, fed, dressed and kept in good shape" he assures them. 

"The job will involve public performance and pain at times, but you're used to that".

"Best of all, I told him you guys like each other, so he's promised to keep you together".  

If fact, the buyer has paid a hefty premium to acquire this matching pair, graded Class 1.

He's going to use them for breeding purposes, such genes shouldn't be wasted!

According to rumour, his extraction processes are most imaginative.

"What am I bid for these two exquisite specimens?"

Being sold behind your back is terrible, but the indignity of a public, internet auction is worse.

They were forced to pump up their muscles before the sale and dressed to attract maximum interest.

Then made to kneel submissively on the pitch in front of the cameras.

In the past, these men have modestly enjoyed the admiration their weight training has earned them.

Now are awestruck at the prices others are prepared to pay to get their hands on them.

They can't see the bidders, just the auctioneer and the steadily mounting offers on a TV screen.

The cold, teeming rain is unpleasant and depressingly apt, 

yet it seems to have heightened the buyer's interest in them.

And they haven't even had their shorts taken off - not yet.

In Transit

Sold and paid for, this player has been scrubbed and dressed in his Sunday best kit for despatch.

He's been moderately sedated and packaged securely for the long journey, so he'll be no trouble.

He's not travelling alone, an escort will attend to his needs and deal with the paperwork.

His buyer is rich enough and distant enough to have hired a private jet to bring him home.

It's an ironic epilogue to his high-flying life as a successful, professional sportsman.

That's over now, but he's shed his tears, calmed his fears and now sleeps the flight away.

Perhaps he's dreaming of a pampered new life, as the pet of an admiring owner.

An attractive female, easily won over by his male charm and sexual prowess.

Well, anything is possible, but I wouldn't count on any of that, chum.

Alone in a Crowd

Back in the UK, another burly Rugby player has been brought to his knees in the mud.

He bows his head in despair, a picture of submissiveness and incomprehension.

Which of these fates await for him?

~

I discovered these images recently on Tumblr. The site consists almost entirely of bondage images by a single artist, who calls himself Cybertied. They show men tied up with rope (classic stuff!) in a wide range of settings and scenarios but with a particular focus on sportsmen and, much to my delight, including many from the world of rugby and other football games. 

Visit Cybertied (on Tumblr, his main site) 

also on Twitter/'X' and DeviantArt

Other Cybertied at mitchmen

Obviously these images have been created with AI and there are some classic anatomy flaws if you look closely. However, what is truly remarkable about these images is that they have been created using a freely available, AI art creator which has been designed to block any elements deemed to be 'unsafe'. That's vague-ist New-Speak for what used to be labelled as dirty, deviant and abnormal, in fact almost everything worth looking at mitchmen blog! 

The list of forbidden subjects includes nudity, underwear and bondage. The creation process is driven by text input and the artist explains in 3 posts how he managed to word his way round the blocks. It's a fascinating insight into how these AI engines work and a guide that anyone can use themselves to experiment with. I will share some of my efforts in a future post.

Use the labels below to find similar posts at mitchmen